Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Steven W. J. Canty, Graeme Fox, Jennifer K. Rowntree, Richard F. Preziosi
Summary: The study found low genetic diversity among coral colonies in hope spots like Cordelia Bank, but demonstrated subtle genetic differences within and among banks. Despite approximately 30% clonality across each bank, each identified genotype within the banks was unique.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Raymond B. Banister, Robert van Woesik
Summary: An integrated Bayesian approach was used to determine which Florida reefs ranked highest in terms of Acropora cervicornis colony survival from 2012 to 2018. Results showed highly variable survival rates in different regions and reefs, with lower survival rates in reefs exposed to high wave energy and higher rates in Biscayne Bay. Spatial latent effects of low survival were detected, particularly between 2015 and 2017 in the middle and upper Florida Keys, emphasizing the need for strategic outplanting of nursery-reared colonies to optimize coral population recovery in Florida.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sara D. Williams, J. Grace Klinges, Samara Zinman, Abigail S. Clark, Erich Bartels, Marina Villoch Diaz Maurino, Erinn M. Muller
Summary: Effective coral restoration requires comprehensive investigations of targeted coral communities, including the coral host, symbiotic algae, and microbiome. This study found that the microbiomes of Acropora cervicornis genotypes differed based on the collection region, indicating that regional processes influenced bacterial community composition. Corals with low abundance of Aquarickettsia had higher species richness and diversity, suggesting their potential for restoration.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leah Maurer, Lauren Puishys, Nancy Kim Pham Ho, Craig Dahlgren, Tanya Y. Kamerman, Scott Martin, M. Andrew Stamper
Summary: This study analyzes the survival and design durability of two coral nurseries in The Bahamas, showing that the design is very durable with materials showing a life expectancy of five years or more. The survivorship ranged from 70 to 97% and only two maintenance visits a year were required.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hanna R. R. Koch, Briana Matthews, Celia Leto, Cody Engelsma, Erich Bartels
Summary: With the decline of coral reefs worldwide, there is increased investment in restoration-based interventions, including asexual and sexual propagation. Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Florida's Coral Reef and is performing critical research and restoration activities related to assisted sexual reproduction (ASR). The study aims to optimize ASR of Acropora cervicornis and provides detailed protocols and general recommendations based on years of experience in coral sexual propagation.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Johanna Calle-Trivino, Aaron Israel Muniz-Castillo, Camilo Cortes-Useche, Megan Morikawa, Rita Sellares-Blasco, Jesus Ernesto Arias-Gonzalez
Summary: Research has shown that in the process of coral reef restoration, the impact of outplanted coral colonies on environmental ecological function is positive, which can promote the recovery of coral reef ecosystems and enhance ecological functions.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wyatt C. Million, Maria Ruggeri, Sibelle O'Donnell, Erich Bartels, Trinity Conn, Cory J. Krediet, Carly D. Kenkel
Summary: Genotype-by-environment interactions are crucial for the persistence and restoration strategies of tropical coral reefs. Through a transplant experiment on Acropora cervicornis, we found significant GxE effects on coral size, shape, and survivorship, with individual-level morphological plasticity positively influencing growth and survival.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Dayana Rada-Osorio, Luis A. Gomez-Lemos, Rocio Garcia-Uruena
Summary: This study aimed to document the early life history of A. cervicornis, finding that embryogenesis lasted for 63 hours and larvae began to settle 8 days after fertilization. There were no significant differences in settlement between surfaces, but survival on rugose surfaces was lower due to sediment accumulation and turf algae.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Madeline L. Kaufman, Emily Watkins, Ruben van Hooidonk, Andrew C. Baker, Diego Lirman
Summary: Anthropogenic climate change poses the biggest threat to coral reefs, but efforts to restore these ecosystems are helping to buy time. Research shows that lesion recovery is crucial for colony survival, with significant variability in healing observed among different genets of Acropora cervicornis from Florida reefs with varying thermal regimes. Results indicate that temperature stress significantly slows down lesion recovery, with corals from warmer reefs showing greater healing potential under heat stress compared to corals from cooler reefs.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Allyson DeMerlis, Amanda Kirkland, Madeline L. Kaufman, Anderson B. Mayfield, Nathan Formel, Graham Kolodziej, Derek P. Manzello, Diego Lirman, Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Ian C. Enochs
Summary: The study shows that pre-acclimation to a variable temperature regime can enhance the thermal tolerance of corals, which is crucial for the restoration of coral reefs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hanna R. R. Koch, Yuen Azu, Erich Bartels, Erinn M. M. Muller
Summary: As assisted sexual reproduction becomes more common in coral reef restoration, understanding the trade-offs between reproductive output and disease resistance is crucial. This study assessed the reproductive output of A. cervicornis genets with known disease resistance or susceptibility and found a positive correlation between colony size and fecundity, as well as a negative correlation between disease susceptibility and oocyte size. These findings are important for population management and active restoration efforts.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cheryl Hankins, Elizabeth Moso, Danielle Lasseigne
Summary: Experimental results show that the intake of microplastics by scleractinian coral is influenced by environmental factors, and long-term exposure has negative effects on their growth responses.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul Maneval, Charles A. Jacoby, Holden E. Harris, Thomas K. Frazer
Summary: Growing corals in nurseries and outplanting them to supplement declining natural populations have shown significant progress globally. Consideration of genotype selection and nursery design and location can lead to increased production and reduced maintenance efforts.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Robert van Woesik, Raymond B. Banister, Erich Bartels, David S. Gilliam, Elizabeth A. Goergen, Caitlin Lustic, Kerry Maxwell, Amelia Moura, Erinn M. Muller, Stephanie Schopmeyer, R. S. Winters, Diego Lirman
Summary: This study examines the survival of nursery-reared Acropora cervicornis colonies outplanted along the Florida reef tract between 2012 and 2018. Factors influencing their survival include coral-colony size at outplanting, reef habitat, geographical subregion, and the year of monitoring. Larger colonies outplanted to back-reef and fore-reef habitats in higher latitudes showed the highest survival rates, highlighting the need for refined restoration strategies.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rocio Garcia-Uruena, Sheila A. Kitchen, Nikolaos Schizas
Summary: Using a standardized SNP array, two populations of Acropora cervicornis and one population of A. palmata were identified in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The study supports previous bio-physical model predictions and suggests the Panama-Colombia gyre as a possible isolating mechanism within the western Caribbean. However, the lower genetic diversity in both species, along with their relative isolation and high levels of reef degradation, raises concerns for conservation and may require species-specific management and restoration efforts.
Article
Ecology
Alex E. Mercado-Molina, Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Alberto M. Sabat
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Alex E. Mercado-Molina, Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Alberto M. Sabat
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2018)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher J. Nytch, Elvia J. Melendez-Ackerman, Maria-Eglee Perez, Jorge R. Ortiz-Zayas
Article
Microbiology
Daniela Vargas-Robles, Magda Magris, Natalia Morales, Maurits N. C. de Koning, Iveth Rodriguez, Tahidid Nieves, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Gloria I. Sanchez, Luis David Alcaraz, Larry J. Forney, Maria-Eglee Perez, Luis Garcia-Briceno, Leen-Jan van Doorn, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
Article
Ecology
Aniel Nieves-Gonzalez, Claudia P. Ruiz-Diaz, Carlos Toledo-Hernandez, Juan S. Ramirez-Lugo
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paola Olaya-Arenas, Elvia J. Melendez-Ackerman, Maria E. Perez
CARIBBEAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
E. A. Hernandez-Delgado, C. Toledo-Hernandez, C. P. Ruiz-Diaz, N. Gomez-Andujar, J. L. Medina-Muniz, M. F. Canals-Silander, S. E. Suleiman-Ramos
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniela Vargas-Robles, Natalia Morales, Iveth Rodriguez, Tahidid Nieves, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Luis David Alcaraz, Maria-Eglee Perez, Jacques Ravel, Larry J. Forney, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Review
Entomology
Melissa A. Johnson, Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Nicholas C. Manoukis, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues
Article
Ecology
Raymond L. Tremblay, Andrew J. Tyre, Maria-Eglee Perez, James D. Ackerman
Summary: Population projection matrices are commonly used to predict population persistence for rare species, but data from these species can suffer from small sample sizes and miss rare demographic events, leading to incomplete or unrealistic trajectories. To address this issue, a multinomial-Dirichlet model for transitions and a Gamma model for reproduction are proposed to patch missing values in the matrices, integrating prior information within a Bayesian framework and improving the realism of inferences on transition probabilities.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues
Summary: The study reveals that baited column traps at 0.5m height capture more coffee berry borers efficiently, providing insights for future management strategies to control this coffee pest.
Article
Statistics & Probability
D. Velez, M. E. Perez, L. R. Pericchi
Summary: We propose an adaptive method (type I error) that reduces as information increases for hypothesis tests comparing nested linear models. A simpler adaptation was presented in Perez and Pericchi (Stat Probab Lett 85:20-24, 2014) for general i.i.d. models. The calibration proposed in this paper can be interpreted as a compromise between Bayesian and non-Bayesian approaches, achieving statistical consistency through a simple translation of the Bayes factor into frequentist terms and, more importantly, promoting replicable scientific findings.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz, Carlos Toledo-Hernandez, Juan Luis Sanchez-Gonzalez, Brenda Betancourt
Summary: This study focuses on understanding the effects of seawater temperature and light levels on the survival and growth of Acropora cervicornis fragments. The results show that fragments from shallow farms have higher mortality rates but also higher growth rates. Corals grow fastest during winter regardless of water depth.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Daiver Velez Ramos, Luis R. Pericchi R. Guerra, Maria Eglee Perez Hernandez
Summary: This article proposes a method to adjust the minimum Bayes factor with information in order to approximate an exact Bayes factor, not only when p is a p-value but also when p is a pseudo-p-value. A version of the adjustment for linear models is also developed using the recent refinement of the Prior-Based BIC.
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Juan S. Ramirez-Lugo, Carlos Toledo-Hernandez, Ivonne Velez-Gonzalez, Claudia P. Ruiz-Diaz
Summary: Students involved in scientific research experiences are more likely to pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields. A semester-long course-based undergraduate research experience, CREARE, was developed to introduce students to research benefits. Through experiments and data analysis, students made contributions to the research project and showed improved performance and attitudes towards science.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOLOGY EDUCATION
(2021)